The National Geographic Society, the outside is just one of those dirty old buildings in Down Town Cairo, but once explores the inside one cannot help notice its significance. The building by itself is a piece of Islamic art that was found on May 19th 1875 by Khedive Ismail. The institution's aim was to encourage and examine geographical surveys and fields of investigation in different regions of Egypt, unexplored areas of Africa and the Upper Nile. The society also organizes local and international meetings and exhibitions. Moreover, it holds the ninth position among the geographical societies in both North America and Europe in importance. The truth is at first one fail to notice the significance of this institution and wonder why it even exists! It's messy and untagged items, it's poorly facilitated library and its inefficient employees makes this institute a waste of very valuable recourses.
What strikes most about this museum is that it is too crowded with valuable items and irrelevantly arranged. Throughout the downstairs halls one can find models of latter day craftsmen and women using some of the equipment hanged up shelved around the walls. These halls also display traditional customs and habits in Egypt like wedding ceremonies, smoking habits musical instruments and ivory. Even though this museum has a significant value to anyone working or nor working in Geography, it is too messy to understand. A famous museum such as Versailles or the British museum, one finds it so easy to identify each item and the story behind it on its tag. Since the content of this museum is not tagged, no Egyptian or Non-Egyptian visitor will understand any of what this objects refer to. Items need to be spread out in a larger place and to be distributed cleaned up and tagged. What make the situation worse is the more carelessness the library faces.
Moving on the top floor where the library is, the most surprising part of the institute, which did not improve as much since 1875.